More green hydrogen on the way for Shell, with REFHYNE II set to kick off

More green hydrogen on the way for Shell, with REFHYNE II set to kick off

August 12, 2024 0 By Bret Williams

The oil and gas giant continues to lower its carbon footprint in Europe.

Shell is gearing up to progress REFHYNE II and is set to install a 100 megawatt (MW) green hydrogen electrolyzer at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland in Germany.  Shell has taken a Final Investment Decision (FID) for the 100 MW renewable proton-exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen electrolyzer, which will use renewable power to generate as much as 44,000 kilograms (kg) of green H2 daily. The hydrogen produced will partially decarbonize site operations.

REFHYNE II is based on an innovative pre-engineered 10 MW electrolyzer.

The REFHYNE II green hydrogen project follows the successful deployment and completion of the initial REFHYNE project, which kicked off in 2021. REFHYNE is part of the effort to supply “Clean Refinery Hydrogen for Europe”. The end goal of the initial project was to install and operate the largest PEM electrolyzer in Europe at the Shell Energy Chemicals Park Wesseling, Germany. It involved the deployment of an electrolyzer with a peak capacity of 10 MW, capable of generating about 1,300 tons of hydrogen annually, at a plant operated by Shell and manufactured by ITM Power.

The decarbonized hydrogen produced is fully incorporated into the refinery processes, among which includes the desulphurization of conventional fuels. The hydrogen produced is used for processing and upgrading products at the refinery site, testing the PEM tech at the largest scale to date, and exploring applications in other sectors (e.g., industry, transport, power generation, and heating for buildings).

REFHYNE, which was funded by the European Commission’s Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking – now the Hydrogen Partnership – concluded in June of this year. REFHYNE II is the next phase of the project.

Green Hydrogen - Shell-REFHYNE II-c-Codema 3840x2160-2048x1152 - Sourece - REFHYNE

Shell REFHYNE II Concept Image – Source: REFHYNE

REFHYNE II aims to produce up to 15,000 tons of green hydrogen annually.

The goal of this phase is to scale up the 10 MW PEM electrolyzer – currently Europe’s largest – to 100 MW, with the objective of producing as much as 15,000 tons of green hydrogen every year. The green hydrogen and oxygen produced will be fed-in to the existing refinery networks, decarbonizing operations.

Green Hydrogen - REFHYNE II diagram - Source - REFHYNE

REFHYNE II diagram – Source: REFHYNE

It will also be used to produce transport fuel with a lower carbon intensity among other energy products. Additionally, in the longer term, the green H2 produced from REFHYNE II could be directly supplied to support lowering industrial emissions in the regions as customer demand grows. Operations are expected to begin in 2027.

REFHYNE II has received plenty of support.

hydrogen news ebookThis latest phase of the project, REFHYNE II, is funded by the European Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), as well as received additional funding from the European Union’s (EU’s) Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

The green hydrogen project has been enabled by supportive policies, including the German Federal Government’s regulatory framework and the EU’s binding targets for the use of renewable H2.

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